Watch this insane kiteboarder tie himself to a yacht

The Skywalk, by Alex Thomson - is even crazier than what's pictured here...

In kiteboarding circles, Alex Thompson isn’t a name that’s familiar to many, because he’s not a pro kiteboarder. In sailing circles, he’s known as that crazy guy who does silly things with his multi million dollar IMOCA 60, his third one, because the last two have broken and been abandoned at sea.

He’s the Nick Jacobsen of sailing, but this week he has outdone even Jacobsen himself, in an insane stunt he calls the “Skywalk”.

Portugal, Spain is where it all went down, with Susi Mai on the beach as emotional support and a stunning backdrop full of kiters behind. In the foreground, the 60ft Hugo Boss is tearing around in the flat water crewed by a team of sailors, and chasing it down is Thompson, on a custom black Slingshot kite and board, done up in Hugo Boss graphics. Keen eyes might notice the line trailing in the water, attached to the top of the 29m high mast on Hugo Boss.

Now before you watch this video, please note that tethering yourself to any object while kiting is dangerous. Not only is there a risk of equipment failure while you’re at height, there is a serious risk of crushing ribs as you get squished by your harness. Not to mention the whole being dragged underwater by a 60ft ocean racing yacht (or jetski, or boat, or another kiter).

But if you’re the type to enjoy the insanity of others on a sunny afternoon, then check this out. Alex Thompson flicks his kite, and goes sailing into the air while attached to the mast tip of Hugo Boss. With the boat hooking upwind just as he jumps, Alex flies well over 60m above the water level before disconnecting his tether and looping back to earth…